Cognitive Dissonance theory

Leon Festinger (1957)

What do I mean by “Cognitive”?

COGNITIONS:

1. IRRELEVANT:

2. CONSONANT:

3. DISSONANT:

*Dissonance is an aversive state that people are motivated to reduce.

Here’s the basic model:

Cognitions not consistent

Experience dissonance

Motivation to reduce dissonance

*Efforts at reduction

Consistency (consonance restored)

*How do people reduce dissonance?

1. Add consonant cognitions:

2. Change the attitude:

3. Change the behavior:

4. Trivialization:

So how have researchers tested these ideas?

Festinger & Carlsmith (1959)

INDUCED COMPLIANCE PARADIGM

Control: liked it less

$20 : liked it less

$1: liked it more

DV=enjoyment of the task

WHY?

CONDITIONS THAT GIVE RISE TO DISSONANCE:

Perception of choice

Linder, Cooper, & Jones (1967)

1. Low external justification:

2. Perceived choice:

3. Commitment

Davis & Jones (1960)

POST-DECISION DISSONANCE

-Dissonance after a decision has been made

-The more important the choice—the more dissonance after the choice

HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION:

UofA UBC

Pros: -Cheaper -Better climate

-Friends here -Culture/city

-Less pressure -Ocean

Cons: -Less prestige -Expensive

-*%#* Cold! -Rains a lot

-Less opportunity -Parking sucks

IF CHOOSE UofA:

-Devalue the neg. things about UofA & the pos. things about UBC

-Value the pos. things about the UofA & the neg. things about UBC

Knox & Inkster (19….a long time ago)

What are the inconsistent cognitions in post-decision dissonance?

IMPLICATION OF DISSONANCE THEORY:

“We come to love what we suffer for”

Aronson & Mills (1957)

SEVERE:

MILD:

CONTROL:

--EFFORT JUSTIFICATION

ANOTHER IMPLICATION

MINIMAL DETERRENCE

Aronson & Carlsmith (1963)—Forbidden toy experiment

SEVERE:

MILD:

CONTROL:

--------Temptation period---------

Measured liking of toy second time around

SEVERE—slightly increased pref. for toy

MILD—lowered pref. for toy

CONTROL—slightly increased pref. for toy

OTHER REAL WORLD DISSONANCE PHENOMENON

Straw (1974) field study w/ ROTC officers